NBA Summer League will bring Trail Blazers a new Nolan Smith

View full sizeBruce Ely/The OregonianAs a backup point guard for Portland last season (though never the No. 2), Smith averaged 3.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in his 44 NBA games. "I'm approaching summer league as if it's the regular season," he says

The advice has come far and wide. The workouts have been long and fierce. The weeks have been consumed by basketball and deep thoughts.

But for all the reflection and self improvement Nolan Smith has undergone since the Trail Blazers' disastrous 2011-12 season ended, one piece of advice from one man has perhaps made the biggest impact. Shortly after the Blazers selected Damian Lillard with the No.6 overall pick in the NBA Draft and announced that he would be their franchise point guard, Smith had a heart-to-heart with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

The two talked about Smith's game, his smiley demeanor and the challenge before him. And by the time the chat concluded, Krzyzewski had convinced Smith it was time for a new approach.

"Basically, what Coach told me was, 'Get meaner,'" Smith said. "Obviously he saw who we had drafted and he knows who I am as a competitor. He saw me head to the gym one night for a workout and he was like, 'Use this as fuel. Get mad. Get ready to go out there and take care of business.'"

The Blazers' Las Vegas Summer League practices begin Wednesday and the team will play the New Orleans Hornets in an opener five days later at the Thomas & Mack Center. It will be the first opportunity for fans to see the highly touted Lillard and fellow rookies Meyers Leonard and Will Barton.

Portland's NBA Summer League schedule

Games in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack center (Sunday) and the COX pavilion (all others):

Sunday, July 15 -- New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 17 -- Houston, 5 p.m.

Thursday, July 19 -- Atlanta, 3 p.m.

Friday, July 20 -- Denver, 3 p.m.

Saturday, July 21 -- Miami, 1 p.m.

But it will also be the first chance for fans to see the new Nolan Smith. The second-year guard has spent the past few weeks reshaping his mental approach, refining his shooting stroke and replenishing his confidence. His game remains a work in progress, but Smith is eager to test his changes this week.

"I'm approaching summer league as if it's the regular season," Smith said. "People did not see the real me last year and that's why I'm anxious for this. I'm somebody who's been through ups and downs in my life and I knew that wasn't going to stop in the NBA. Last year was tough, but it was a part of the process. Now everything starts over."

Smith describes his rookie season as a "roller coaster" and it's a fitting interpretation of an up-and-down few months that featured a lockout, front office uncertainty, coaching changes, midseason trades and losses. But perhaps the most frustrating part of it all for Smith was what happened between his ears.

He had high expectations entering his rookie season and was expected to be the second-string point guard on Opening Night. But after a harried training camp, Smith played sparse and inconsistent minutes in an on-again, off-again backup role. He never did enough to hold the No.2 job and limited opportunities stymied his growth.

But worst of all, the former Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year went through something he never expected: a breach of confidence. He's dedicated the summer to rediscovering his "swag."

Over the last five-plus weeks, Smith has worked out daily in Washington, D.C., and North Carolina, playing in pickup games and going through offseason workouts with the Duke basketball team. He regularly meets with a personal trainer.

He's working on all aspects of his game, including ballhandling and passing, but his biggest mission has been to revamp his shooting stroke. During exit interviews in April, the Blazers told Smith he needed to improve the consistency of his jumper, so he sought the help of a private shooting coach and the two have worked all summer on overhauling his mechanics.

Smith has tweaked the arm angle and raised the release point of his shot to allow for a more fluid and consistent stroke. The goal is for the ball to leave his hands just above his head and for his shooting hand to fall just above his eyebrow during his follow through.

"My main focus is to get to where I'm knocking down threes way more consistently," Smith said. "I'm confident where my shot is now and with more time, I should get even more comfortable with it."

And while he redefines his skill-set, Smith is also trying to rediscover his once-unwavering confidence. Last week, he sat down with Jim Lynam, a longtime NBA coach and family friend, and they spent more than two hours watching game film from last season. During the session, Lynam urged Smith to bring more energy and aggressiveness to his offense and to push the ball relentlessly at all times up the court.

Lynam used Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook's aggressive game as an example of the attack-at-all-times mentality he'd like Smith to develop. It was an interesting comparison because it was the second time Westbrook's name has surfaced during a heart-to-heart session with a mentor.

When Krzyzewski employed Smith to get "meaner," he pointed to Westbrook as a model.

"He talked about getting a Russell Westbrook-type attitude," Smith said, recalling his talk with Krzyzewski. "Westbrook gets a lot of criticism, but at the end of the day, he's confident in himself and he plays his game whether you love him or hate him. Coach K told me to look for that in myself. In college, you can be that nice guy. In the NBA, if you want it, you have to go get it. I have to get meaner.

"When I step between those lines, I want to go at somebody. There's no more hesitation. I have to have sole focus. I have to have that ego, that mentality that I'm the best guard on the court."

The Blazers have scheduled an afternoon news conference today at the Portland Children's Museum to introduce their new draft picks -- including Lillard. Right about the time Blazers executives are touting Lillard as the future, Smith will be grinding through a workout at the practice facility in Tualatin, practicing that new jumper and reinforcing his confidence.

Smith had a brief talk with Lillard after the draft to welcome him to Portland and Smith said he is excited about what Lillard can bring to the roster. But Smith has no plans of conceding anything. He heard general manager Neil Olshey call Lillard the franchise point guard and he knows Lillard is being touted as the future. But Smith heard the same thing about himself last year.

"Obviously when you see that happen, something clicks in your head," Smith said of his reaction to the Blazers drafting Lillard. "Right away, first and foremost, you think, 'Somebody is going for your job.' It just kicks up your competitive nature. When they drafted him, my eyebrows went down and it was like, 'Let's go. Let's help the Blazers win, but also, let's fight.'

"At the end of the day, he hasn't played a game yet. Hopefully he comes in and helps the Blazers win. That's the main goal. But I'm training all summer long to be The Guy. They call him the franchise guy, but there's two point guards coming in and we're both young. I think it'll be a very intense competition."